River Hawks Score Late in 3-1 Setback at No. 11 Massachusetts

Sunday, September 6

Amherst, MA

1PM

University of Massachusetts Lowell

(1-3)

Massachusetts

(4-0)

Team	1	2	3	4	Final F
UMass Lowell	0	0	0	1	1
UMass	0	1	1	1	3

River Hawks Score Late in 3-1 Setback at No. 11 Massachusetts

9/6/2026 4:01:00 PM | Field Hockey

Box Score

AMHERST, Mass. – Sophomore Alexa Guarneri (Hockessin, Del.) tallied a goal in a 3-1 setback for the UMass Lowell field hockey team (1-3) at No. 11 Massachusetts (4-0) on Sunday afternoon.

"We had a gritty performance today and I'm proud of the team for their road warrior mentality," said Head Coach Shannon LeBlanc. "Playing coast-to-coast and two, top-11 teams in the last 10 days is not for the weak. This team showed tremendous discipline and growth, and we are excited for the next phase of the season. We are also looking forward to being back on Wicked Blue Field next weekend."

Sophomore Helena Herlocher (State College, Pa.) logged her first career assist on Guarneri's goal. Sophomore goalkeeper Megan MacMiller (Tarzana, Calif.) turned in a complete game, registering her first career start and five saves.

The River Hawks were quick to attack in their offensive end, as junior Audrey Carter (Dover, N.H.) put a shot on target just over three minutes into play. UMass Lowell then earned a corner, during which Carter fired another attempt ahead of a chance from senior Karli Penrod (Seaford, Del.) less than two minutes later, although the game would remain scoreless. The River Hawks then fended off three shots from the Minutewomen before senior Alice Van Hemelen (Terevuren, Belgium) put a ball into the pads of the opposing goalkeeper to end the first quarter.

Massachusetts garnered its second corner chance in the 21^st minute, but the River Hawk defense forced two attempts off target. However, Isla Campbell put a reverse-stick hit on a bouncing pass in the 23^rd minute to break open the scoring, giving the home side a 1-0 edge heading into the break.

Coming out of halftime, Niamh McKenzie sent a centering pass to the front of the cage for the one-timer from Emily Barrett just 33 seconds into the third to make the score 2-0. MacMiller then made two more saves to maintain the difference heading into the final quarter.

In the 51^st minute, Amber Fairon fired hard from the top of the circle through traffic, extending the difference to 3-0. The River Hawks continued to battle, though, as Guarneri deflected a pass from Herlocher up into the cage in the final minute to make it a 3-1 outcome.

The River Hawks are set to host their first home game of the season on Friday, September 11 when they welcome New Haven for a 6 p.m. matchup. Admission to home games is free all season thanks to Eastern Salt and Mahoney Oil.